New Ashford boss Danny Kedwell has vowed to bring entertaining football to Homelands.

Kedwell left his role as Chatham assistant manager this week to take the reins at the Nuts & Bolts.

He succeeds Kevin Watson, who was sacked in March.

The former Gillingham striker has given fans an idea of what to expect following his appointment at the Isthmian South East club.

“It’ll be entertaining,” said Kedwell, 40, who will register as a player for emergency purposes only.

“I want us to entertain and I want us to out-run teams.

“I was like that as a player, I worked hard, and I’ll be making sure my team does the same.

“I’m a very possession-based manager. People have probably seen how Chatham play and that’s what I like.

“I like to get the ball down and play and be entertaining.”

There’s no immediate pressure to get promoted, with Ashford’s new owners, who are to complete their takeover this month, keen to grow the club sustainably.

“As long as we compete, that’s the main thing,” added Kedwell.

“There’s teams in there with big budgets and we’ve got to compete against them to stand any chance.

“It’s going to be a tough gig but it’s a project for us.

“We haven’t got to go and win the league straight away. There isn’t that pressure.

“It’s a case of see how we go in the first year, definitely.

“Sometimes these things take a few years to build.”

Kedwell feels ready to be a No.1 again, having previously had a brief spell in charge at Cray Wanderers three years ago.

He went on to serve as player-assistant under Kevin Hake at Chatham as the Medway club won successive promotions.

They almost made it three in a row, reaching the Isthmian Premier play-off final this season.

Ashford approached Hake for permission to speak to Kedwell.

He held talks with interim boss Alan Walker, representing the prospective new owners, and the job appealed.

“Going back in as a No.1 is something I’ve always wanted to do at some point,” said Kedwell, who played under Walker at Maidstone and Tonbridge.

“I learned a lot in my first management job at Cray and I’ve learned even more as assistant manager at Chatham.

“I’m fully ready now - it’s the right time.

“They approached Kev, I didn’t apply, which is good because you know you’re wanted.

“Walks asked me what my plans were and I said, to be honest, I’m ready to be a No.1 again.

“A few clubs have approached Kev about me over the last couple of years but I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t the right time.

“Now it is the right time and Ashford is a good fit.

“If it wasn’t, I’d still be at Chatham.

“I like everything about it. It’s a nice little fanbase, they’ve got a new 3G pitch and it’s a good area, with good people.

“Whenever I’ve played there or gone there as assistant manager, they’ve always been welcoming.

“It’s a job that really interested me and from talking to them and with the new owners coming in, it just felt right.”

Kedwell, with his coaching background at Ebbsfleet’s academy, is fully behind the club’s plans to develop young players.

He’ll do all he can to help on that front while one of his immediate tasks is to speak with the current squad.

“There’s a few players there that I know,” said Kedwell.

“We played them at Chatham in the Velocity Cup a couple of months ago.

“There’ll be talks with the ones I want to keep and then we’ll try and add some strength in there with them.”

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